Letters To The Editor
IDAHO VIEWPOINTS
Strings attached make gift non-starter
With regard to the proposal to put a library and botanical garden at McEuen Field, the concern of many persons seems to be that the botanical gardens may feature red geraniums and the library may have a copper roof and look a lot like the resort.
Not only does this proposal displace many common citizens who use the fields for athletic and other purposes, but it appears to primarily benefit Duane Hagadone and his tourists.
Getting rid of the Third Street boat ramp, which is part of this plan, is only to Hagadone’s advantage. With it gone, things there would be quieter and less congested for his hotel guests. They can quietly stroll out to the garden undisturbed by those locals launching their boats, playing their athletic games, etc.
We appreciate Hagadone’s promised donation to the library, but the strings he has attached to the gift are not worth it. Thomas Hearn Coeur d’Alene
Stop ignoring intent of land givers
Duane Hagadone ought to be ashamed of himself, trying to get McEuen Field. That property was named after Mae McEuen and intended for public recreation.
It seems absurd that he wants to own what’s left of the downtown waterfront, supposedly to make it more resourceful for the community. The community already has a library, and North Idaho College’s library also is open to the public.
Changing the use of McEuen Field would betray the faith McEuen had in the city’s civic leaders. Of course, they would just be following the footsteps of the civic leaders who broke the trust of Tony Tubbs. He left that land to the public only. Then, the city let people build up there anyway.
Who could forget Mr. Blackwell’s donation of the land for the city park? Maybe most people in this town don’t realize there was a lot more land to our city park until civic leaders sold part of it for private use.
We need to put an end to this lack of respect our civic leaders in the past have had for these truly outstanding citizens. These people donated so much to all of us in the community to enjoy, and it’s supposed to be there for generations to come.
If we don’t stop this, what will we lose next? Is the rest of Sanders Beach, the rest of the city park or North Idaho College property up for grabs? Mary Ann Roe Coeur d’Alene
Officials, listen to the people
Felicitations to Kootenai County residents for standing up to Duane Hagadone. The recent high turnout at North Idaho College regarding McEuen Field and the Third Street boat dock speaks for itself. The people have spoken.
Duane Hagadone has succeeded throughout the years in alienating the residents of this beautiful community in favor of his beloved tourists. All he has accomplished is total disdain and complete segregation: the rich against the poor. If only he knew.
Hopefully, the City Council and Parks and Recreation Commission will listen to the masses for once, not the individuals baiting them with easy money - strings attached, of course. Suzann O’Sullivan Hayden
SPOKANE MATTERS
Streets lack painted lines
How cheap can we get? Am I the only one in Spokane to notice that we need more paint on our streets?
I was in three lanes of traffic in our city and there were no lane demarcations. I’m glad we know how to follow single file.
I notice this on most of our streets, from downtown to the suburbs. The exceptions are our streets that have been recently renovated.
I know we need to fill our potholes and repair streets as the result of a long, difficult winter, but paint is a given year ‘round. As a nurse, I’m concerned for the safety of our citizens.
There are many hazards and obstacles to driving. Please, let’s have lane, arrow and crosswalk demarcations on our side. Paint, please. Nancy Wilimek Spokane
SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION
Try surveying ex-college students
With college budgets increasing, conservation of available funds has become paramount.
Members of the class of 1991 have had five years to evaluate the usefulness of the courses they took during their college years. Were they all useful?
If the graduates were sent their college transcripts and asked to rate each course as necessary, helpful or not necessary, the results might prove interesting.
From a survey of this type, could it be an indication of courses not needed which would reduce the cost of a degree? Archie T. Cernaghan Coeur d’Alene
BUSINESS AND LABOR
Utility’s ad sends bad message
We are trying to better the education in this state. Many a high school graduate can only pass an eighth-grade exam.
Along comes a public utilities company, Washington Water Power Co., with a TV campaign selling natural gas. It shows a high school student trying to figure out if $60 is less than $120. What’s wrong with these people? Shouldn’t we be trying to edify our students instead of making them look dumb?
This ad does nothing for the image of the children of the state of Washington. It makes me angry that WWP uses the profits from my utility bills for its stupid ads. Why doesn’t it spend the profits to educate children?
Thank you, WWP, for helping me with the decision to continue home schooling my children. Kris Whitman Spokane
Cartoon typifies people’s arrogance
The Bizarro cartoon of Feb. 17 is unconscionable. This stereotypical drawing depicts a Mexican farm laborer saying that although the work is back-breaking with long hours and lousy pay, it is still better than working in a cubicle.
Because we pigs of Western civilization demand cheap cucumbers, desperate human beings subject themselves to physically crippling, mind-numbing toil that is guaranteed to dramatically shorten their lives through pesticide contamination. These human beings receive bare subsistence wages, live and work in intolerable conditions and almost none of them receive benefits of any kind.
Little children pick jasmine flowers all night long so we can wear perfumes to smell nice. People slave away in sweatshops, stitching together our designer tennis shoes. Children are chained to looms and forced to weave our kitchen rugs.
What do you suppose goes on in the mind of an exhausted Haitian worker who makes 15 cents an hour as he assembles the 10,000th Hunchback of Notre Dame doll?
Our arrogance is simply astounding. Margaret Koivula Spokane
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Don’t let initiative right be crippled
A line from an old Joni Mitchell song told us: “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.”
If we aren’t careful, the Idaho Legislature is going to get rid of the people’s right to propose laws through the initiative process.
House Bill 265, now under consideration, would place such serious restrictions on initiative efforts that only very, very well-funded campaigns could make it through the crippling hoops.
The people’s initiative has been the vehicle for creating the Fish and Game Department, campaign disclosure or so-called sunshine laws, and the homeowner’s exemption.
Indirectly, initiative measures pressured the Legislature to enact dredge mining restrictions and minimum stream flows for Idaho’s rivers and streams.
Staff writer D.F. Oliveria’s editorial (“Don’t let legislators silence the people,” Our View, Feb. 15) made it clear that the people’s right to circulate petitions successfully is a precious power Idaho’s Legislature should not casually legislate away. Mary Lou Reed Coeur d’Alene
OTHER TOPICS
Say love and you’re saying God
I found the Feb. 13 letter by George Thomas (“Bible is vastly overrated”) one of the most ridiculous I’ve read.
Thomas states that men are good because of the love that dwells in their hearts, not because of some Bible quote. Where does he think love originated?
God is the author of the Bible and the creator of all things, including love. So, whether you believe what the Bible says or not, the fact you love your fellow man means you are abiding by the Bible and doing God’s will; whether you’re a Jew, Moslem or atheist. And, Jesus does exist. He was God’s ultimate gift of love to mankind.
The Bible specifically addresses homosexuality and considers it a sin. However, I do not view the homosexual rights controversy as a war waged against gay people but a spiritual battle between Godly principles and the rulers of this world. Satan continues to deceive people into thinking what they are doing is right. This is another reason God gave us the Bible - so we can discern the works of the enemy.
But, no matter what our personal beliefs, we should have compassion for our fellow man. We are all sinners, none worse or better than the other. However, compromising is not the answer. If we recognize same-sex marriages, it will only support a sinful behavior.
The greatest act of love and the surest way to show our fellow man we care is to pray for them. Then God will do the rest. Debbie Elduen Spokane
How foolish, to reject Bible
In response to George Thomas’ “Bible is vastly overrated” (Letters, Feb. 13), two sayings come to mind: “When in doubt, it is better to remain silent and be thought dumb than to open mouth and remove all doubt” and “A man with an argument is at the mercy of a man with an experience.”
If Thomas could accept Jesus Christ into his life it would revolutionize his life, as it did mine. He called the Bible a collection of scribblings from the imagination of ignorant desert tribesmen. The intelligence of the apostle Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament books, would make Thomas look like an ignorant tribesman by comparison.
The Bible was written over a period of about 1,500 years by God through many prophets, yet they all agree. It’s the world’s best seller of all time.
All of the Old Testament pointed to the day a savior would come and redeem man from sin. Two thousand years ago, Jesus was born of a virgin. He was God in the flesh. He died for the sins of anyone who will accept him as their savior. He took the cross we deserved and, without sin himself, paid our debt of sin. History records that he rose from the tomb on the third day. So amazed was the world that the calendar was changed to conform to his birth.
Every true scholar who started out determined to prove the Bible a hoax wound up a believer instead.
Then there is prophesy (read II Peter, 1:16-19). All prophesy has been fulfilled except end-time prophesy. Forrest R. Fichthorn Spokane
Story brought back memories
Your article about the “Blister rust war” (Feb. 16) brought back memories of my days in the Civilian Conservation Corp in 1938.
We had 200 men in our Maine Woods camp. They were divided into truck groups of about 25 men with four crews per truck. There were seven men to a crew. Six lined up with poles and the end man followed a fence or stone wall. The other end man dropped pieces of paper that provided the guide for the crew’s reverse pass.
The crew pulled up the ribes (gooseberries) plants and hung them between tree branches. The leader followed the crew, checking for missed ribes plants.
Thirty years later, I, as a Washington State University geneticist, helped Dick Bingham at the U.S. Forest Intermountain Research Station, Moscow, analyze their selection for rust-resistant Western White Pine. This research has been successful and resistant trees are now being raised.
From one shore of the nation to the other! Walter A. Becker Pullman
Quit blaming road for driver errors
Our esteemed news reporters have done it again. They have shown their foolishness and insulted the intelligence of their TV audience and readers of the newspaper.
Last weekend, an unfortunate accident happened near Loon Lake. Our TV news reported, “Another accident on deadly Highway 395.” The Feb. 13 Spokesman-Review had a front page report, “Lawmakers told deadly highway must be widened,” by staff writer Chris Mulick.
The foolishness referred to is in the inaccuracy of the reporters’ phraseology. In reality, there is absolutely nothing deadly about Highway 395. Highway 395 is nothing more than a paved surface that allows inhabitants to travel from one part of this Earth to another.
This highway has not caused any accidents since its construction. I am also sure that a check with law enforcement records would show that drunken driving, improper passing, speeding, primping, talking on the phone, poor vehicle condition, inattention and myriad other reasons are the true causes of these accidents.
In truth, it is the drivers’ stupidity that makes the highway deadly.
Put the blame where it belongs - on the drivers. Jim Barrett Colbert
Only fair to help ailing soldiers
When our country or its allies need defending, we call on our military. It always responds; that’s its job. Why, then, can’t our government respond to our military people when they’re in need?
Gulf War syndrome is not an imaginary disease of 15,000 people. They need help, physically and mentally. They have a right to this care and all avenues should be explored to find an answer to their illness. If we don’t support these people, who will go to our defense next time? Would you? Kathleen Calohan Spokane